The simultaneous success of the “Barbie” movie and the biopic “Oppenheimer” at the box office has been a reason for celebration among Americans longing for signs of life in the struggling cinema culture. Filmgoers have embraced the unexpected combination of these two very different blockbusters. However, in Japan, this fusion has sparked anger instead of jubilation.
Twitter users in Japan, who still bear the painful memories of the U.S. military’s nuclear bombings during World War II in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have been spreading the hashtag #NoBarbenheimer. They view the mash-ups of Barbie’s pink fantasy with images of Oppenheimer-era nuclear explosions as highly inappropriate.
This backlash led to a rare display of internal discord within Hollywood, as the Japanese subsidiary of Warner Bros. criticized its headquarters’ approach to social media promotion for the “Barbie” movie. In a letter posted on the official Japan account for “Barbie,” the Japan subsidiary expressed deep regret over the American counterparts’ endorsement of Barbenheimer memes.
The official “Barbie” movie account responded to fan-made images, one depicting Barbie with an atom bomb bouffant, with the comment, “This Ken is a stylist,” and another showing Barbie and J. Robert Oppenheimer against a nuclear explosion backdrop with a kissy-face emoji. Some Japanese Twitter users reacted by sharing photos of the bombing victims and stating that they had canceled their plans to see the movie.
The Japanese Warner Bros. subsidiary clarified that Barbenheimer is not an official activity of Warner Bros. and demanded appropriate action be taken by the company’s headquarters.
The post from the Japan account has gained nearly 30 million views and tens of thousands of retweets. The hashtag #BarbieNoKen, meaning “The Barbie Incident,” was widely used by users.
On Tuesday, Warner Bros. headquarters issued a statement expressing regret over their insensitive social media engagement and offering a sincere apology. The replies from the “Barbie” movie account to Barbenheimer posts have been removed.
While the “Barbie” movie is scheduled for release in Japanese theaters shortly after the anniversary of the bombings, the release date for “Oppenheimer” in Japan is yet to be determined. This has raised speculation that the film may not be shown in Japan to avoid offending local sensitivities regarding the nuclear attacks. Universal Pictures, the studio behind “Oppenheimer,” claimed to be unaware of the Barbenheimer controversy when questioned by The New York Times.
Although an official ban seems unlikely due to Japan’s robust freedom of speech, it is not uncommon for foreign films to debut in Japan significantly later than their release in other countries. Previous American movies addressing war-era subjects have had modest audiences in Japan. For example, the 1996 film “Infinity,” about a scientist involved in the Manhattan Project, took nearly two years to reach Japanese cinemas.
Overall, the clash between the “Barbie” movie and Japanese sentiments towards the nuclear bombings has caused significant uproar, leading to apologies from Warner Bros. and speculation about the release of “Oppenheimer” in Japan. The incident highlights the ongoing sensitivity surrounding war-related themes in the country and the global impact of social media missteps.
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